UNITED NATIONS (USA) –Foreign Minister Juan Arreaza says he told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the Nicolas Maduro Government wants “deepening cooperation” with UN agencies in areas “impacted by the international assault by the United States”.

But he insists “there isn’t a humanitarian crisis” and wouldn’t say whether he asked the UN for food or medicine.

Arreaza told a news conference at UN headquarters in New York yesterday that he has asked “the UN and the world” to promote the lifting of US sanctions that have frozen Venezuelan assets.

He warned that sanctions “have already led to immense suffering and if it goes further Donald Trump — would have blood on his hands”.

Arreaza said Maduro wants to avoid a US coup or intervention “because it would only lead to an even worse situation, and it would be a situation akin to what happened in Vietnam”.

As for the Opposition led by Juan Guaido, he said, “This is an Opposition which is betting on civil war, on violence and on a coup d’état.”

He said the Maduro-Government is waiting for the Opposition “to deign to sit down with us”, and while the government has no “preconditions,” he indicated it must “decolonise” and cut ties with the United States

Arreaza came to the press conference from a three-hour meeting of countries in the 120-member Non-aligned Movement. He said there was a lot of “solidarity” with Maduro’s government and non-interference in a country’s affairs, singling out Caribbean and southern Africa regional groups and Iran.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has set a deadline to bring humanitarian aid into the country over objections of President Nicolas Maduro.

Guaido said yesterday that he’s mobilising caravans of Venezuelans to get the emergency food and medicine across the border in Colombia.

He set the date as February 23, a month after he declared his constitutional right to take presidential powers.